Þorri () is the Icelandic name of the personification of

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...

, and also the name of the fourth winter month (mid January to mid February) in the

Icelandic calendar The early Germanic calendars were the regional calendars used among the early Germanic peoples before they adopted the Julian calendar in the Early Middle Ages. The calendars were an element of early Germanic culture. The Germanic peoples had name ...

Attestations

In the ''

Orkneyinga saga The ''Orkneyinga saga'' (Old Norse: ; ; also called the ''History of the Earls of Orkney'' and ''Jarls' Saga'') is a narrative of the history of the Orkney and Shetland islands and their relationship with other local polities, particularly No ...

'' (written in the 13th century), Þorri (often written Thorri in English) is a legendary Nordic king, the son of

Snær In Norse mythology, Snær (Old Norse Snærr, East Norse Sniō, Latin Nix, Nivis, English "snow") is seemingly a personification of snow, appearing in extant text as an euhemerized legendary Scandinavian king. Icelandic tradition In the ''Orkney ...

('Snow') the Old, a descendant of

Fornjót Fornjót (Old Norse language, Old Norse: ''Fornjótr'') is a jötunn in Norse mythology, and the father of Ægir, Hlér ('sea'), Logi (mythology), Logi ('fire') and Kári ('wind'). It is also the name of a legendary king of "Finland and Kvenland ...

. Þorri was father of two sons named

Nór Nór (Old Norse Nórr) is according to the Orkneyinga Saga the eponymous founder of Norway. Icelandic accounts Source material Nór of Norway appears in “Fundinn Nóregr” (‘Norway Founded’), hereafter called F, which begins the ''Orkney ...

(eponymous founder of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

) and Gór, and a daughter named Gói ('thin snow, track-snow'). The saga ''

Hversu Noregr byggðist ''Hversu Noregr byggðist'' () is an account of the origin of various legendary Norwegian lineages, which survives only in the ''Flateyjarbók''. It traces the descendants of the primeval Fornjót, a king of ''"Gotland, Kænland and Finnland"'', d ...

'' ("How Norway was settled", written in the 12th century) states that Þorri was an ancient king of Finland (which until the 17th century CE referred only to Finland Proper, the southwesternmost part of Finland), Kænlandi (which according to the sources was located just north of Finland Proper, i.e. in

Satakunta Satakunta (in both Finnish language, Finnish and Swedish language, Swedish, ; historically ''Satacundia'') is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) of Finland, part of the former Western Finland Province. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland ...

) and

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

, and that the "Kænir" offered a yearly sacrifice to Þorri, at

mid-winter Midwinter is the middle of the winter. The term is attested in the early Germanic calendars where it was a period or a day which may have been determined by a lunisolar calendar before it was adapted into the Gregorian calendar. It appears with s ...

. The ''Hversu Noregr byggðist'' also says that Þorri has three sisters: Drífa (mother of

Visbur Visbur or Wisbur (Old Norse "Certain/Undoubted Son"McKinnell (2005:70).) was a legendary Swedish king of the House of Ynglings and the son of Vanlandi. He was burned to death inside his hall by the arson of two of his own sons in revenge for rej ...

according to ''

Ynglingatal ''Ynglingatal'' or ''Ynglinga tal'' (Old Norse: 'Enumeration of the Ynglingar') is a Skaldic poem cited by Snorri Sturluson in the ''Ynglinga saga'', the first saga of Snorri's ''Heimskringla''. Þjóðólfr of Hvinir (Thjodolf), who was a poet ...

''), Fönn, and Mjöll. ''Hversu Noregr byggðist'' further describes Þorri's children (Nór, Gór, and Gói, as in ''Orkneyinga saga''), and follows Nór's descendants as they settle Norway.

Name and connection to Thor and Thorablot

Both the month name and the name of the midwinter sacrifice,

Þorrablót Þorrablót (; transliterated as thorrablot) is an Icelandic midwinter festival, named for the month of '' Þorri'' of the historical Icelandic calendar (corresponding to mid January to mid February), and ''blót'', literally meaning ''sacrifice' ...

, are derived from the personal name Þorri. ''Orkneyinga saga'' states that the Þorrablót was established by Þorri. The name Þorri has long been identified with that of

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

, the name of the Norse thunder god, or

thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

personified. Probably the Þorrablót was in origin a sacrifice dedicated to Þór himself, and the figure of Þorri is a secondary

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

derived from the name of the sacrifice. Nilsson thinks that the personification of Þorri "frost" and Goi "track-snow" was particular to Iceland. The pagan sacrifice of Þorrablót disappeared with the

Christianisation of Iceland Iceland was Christianized in the year 1000 AD, when Christianity was legally adopted as the official religion by decision of the Althing. In Icelandic, this event is known as the (literally, "the taking of Christianity"). The vast majority of ...

, but in the 19th century, a midwinter festival called Þorrablót was introduced in

Romantic nationalism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

, and is still popular in contemporary Iceland, since the 1960s associated with a selection of traditional food, called

Þorramatur Þorramatur (; transliterated as thorramatur; ) is a selection of traditional Icelandic food, consisting mainly of meat and fish products cured in a traditional manner, cut into slices or pieces and served with rúgbrauð (dense and dark r ...

. Regardless of actual etymology, it is a popular explanation of the name Þorri to take it as a diminutive of Þór and it remains common practice to toast Þór as part of the modern celebration.Andrew Evans, Iceland, Bradt Travel Guides, 2008, , p. 29.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorri January February Kings in Norse mythology and legends Months Personifications in Norse mythology Thor Winter in Iceland Winter traditions

Attestations

Name and connection to Thor and Thorablot

See also

References